diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/dynamic-debug-howto.rst b/Documentation/admin-guide/dynamic-debug-howto.rst
index 4b14d9fd0300..9c2f096ed1d8 100644
--- a/Documentation/admin-guide/dynamic-debug-howto.rst
+++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/dynamic-debug-howto.rst
@@ -109,10 +109,19 @@ The match-spec's select *prdbgs* from the catalog, upon which to apply
 the flags-spec, all constraints are ANDed together.  An absent keyword
 is the same as keyword "*".
 
+Note that since the match-spec can be empty, the flags are checked 1st,
+then the pairs of keyword and value.  Flag errs will hide keyword errs::
 
-A match specification is a keyword, which selects the attribute of
-the callsite to be compared, and a value to compare against.  Possible
-keywords are:::
+  bash-5.2# ddcmd mod bar +foo
+  dyndbg: read 13 bytes from userspace
+  dyndbg: query 0: "mod bar +foo" mod:*
+  dyndbg: unknown flag 'o'
+  dyndbg: flags parse failed
+  dyndbg: processed 1 queries, with 0 matches, 1 errs
+
+So a match-spec is a keyword, which selects the attribute of the
+callsite to be compared, and a value to compare against.  Possible
+keywords are::
 
   match-spec ::= 'func' string |
 		 'file' string |